Always There
by justanoutlaw
Summary: 6x02 . Regina tries pushing Henry away, feeling that it's not his job to comfort her. In this short one shot, he tries to show her that he can still be her son and help her through these dark times.


_I got the idea for this after reading Tumblr posts on 6x02, discussing Henry trying to comfort Regina. Some said it was wrong, others found it sweet. I fall in with the latter. So here we go, a little one shot where Regina tries to fight Henry's comforting. Takes place after 6x02, after Regina killed Count of Monte Crisco._

She pulled away from him. He had his hand on her shoulder and he jerked away. Henry had accepted it as she was just upset and let it go. Back in the woods when she had nearly been injured while trying to check on Charlotte, she had protected him from the Evil Queen. She had protected him numerous times, comforted him no matter what he did. They had been through so much together, to him it was just returning the favor.

Henry walked into his mother's house and found her sitting on the couch, her head buried in her hands.

"Mom?" He asked.

Regina looked up, her eyes a little red. "Go away, Henry."

"But…"

"I'm sorry, that was harsh." She stood up, running a hand over her face. "But seriously, you need to go. Spend some time with Emma and your step-father."

"He isn't my step-father."

"Well he will be one day. Please, I just need to be alone."

Henry took off his backpack and jacket. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Henry."

"You're upset, I'm not going anywhere."

Regina let out an exasperated sigh before sitting back down. Her son was too stubborn for his own good. She wished she could solely blame Emma, but he had picked it up from her as well. Despite them not sharing genetics, he saw himself in her, more and more every day. He sat beside her, putting a hand on top of hers.

"It's going to be okay, Mom."

She didn't say anything, she simply stared forward, still thinking about the murder she had committed. In another life, it wouldn't have bothered her to do such a thing. But now…she was a new person. A part of her wished she could still be evil, just for a minute, so maybe it wouldn't hurt so much. She knew it was selfish, but she was allowed selfish thoughts, especially now.

"We're going to defeat her," Henry continued, in that soothing voice of his. It was one that Regina found annoying at times, comforting at others. She wasn't sure how to feel about it that day. "And you'll have your happy ending."

Regina laughed bitterly. "Robin is dead, Roland is gone, my chances at a happy ending are over."

"Emma thought that too, but look at her now. She has Killian. This is just a setback."

"It's more than a setback. It's just yet another chapter in the "Regina: The Miserable Woman"." She shook her head. "Even if we defeat her…"

"When we defeat her," he corrected.

"I still won't have a happy ending."

"You have me," Henry told her. "No matter what happens, you still have me."

He was right, she did. He was always there, even when she screwed up, even when the whole world was against her. Much like the original Henry, he believed in her when no one else did. He was the truest believer after all.

And yet… 

"You need to go, Henry," she said.

"I told you…"

"You're right. I will always have you. You're always there for me, trying to make me feel better but this needs to stop."

Hurt filled his eyes. "You…you don't want me around?"

"No!" She cupped his face. "Henry, you are my son. I want you here. Selfishly, I probably want you more because of everyone I lost…"

"So I'll move out of Killian and Emma's, I'll come back here…"

"No, that's not what I want." That was a lie. Of course she wanted him home full time. But that wasn't what was right. "You need to stop this. Stop trying to comfort me when bad things happen.

"Mom…"

"We are not friends. I am the parent, Henry. You are the child. It isn't your job to try to make me feel better! You always want to comfort me and that's not fair to you. It needs to be the other way around." 

Suddenly it all clicked for the teenager. His mom did want him, she did want him around. She just felt it was too selfish to ask. She felt he shouldn't be comforting her. He never once had thought of it was wrong or that it meant he was her friend rather than her son. He just thought it was what family did. He watched Emma comfort David and Snow all the time. Henry had been the one to comfort Emma through a lot as well. It was just what he did, it was in his nature.

"Just because you're the mom, doesn't mean that I can't comfort you."

"Yes it does. In the description it says that I take care of you."

"We're a family," he took her hand. "We're in this together. No matter what happens, you'll always have me and I will always be there to comfort you."

"That's not how…"

"You can say that's not how it's supposed to be but why? Because some parenting books says so? I don't really care, you're my mother. I hate seeing you upset, because my happy ending includes my family being happy. That includes my mom." He gave her a small smile. "You have picked me up so many times, the least I can do is repay the favor."

Regina sighed, running a finger over Henry's knuckles. He seemed so grown up in this moment, wise beyond his years. He always was, but this seemed bigger than before.

"I'm never going to stop trying to help you or comfort you. Even if you don't want me to, it's what I'm going to do. Because I'm part Charming…I never give up on the people that I care about."

A smile broke out on Regina's face and she leaned over, kissing his forehead.

"I love you, my sweet prince," she muttered.

"I love you too, Mom."

"I'll work on being okay with it."

"Good. Because I wasn't going to stop. I'm stubborn."

"Yes, that you get from your blonde mother."

"And my brunette one."

She laughed, her first actual laugh in a very long time and cupped his face. "I'm always here for you too, you know."

"I know. We need each other right now, more than ever. Which is why I'm going to spend more time with you."

"But Emma and Killian…"

"Have had me long enough. I need to help my other mom right now."

She hugged him tightly and he buried his head into her shoulder. And for the first time in a while, Regina felt something in her stomach. Perhaps…a flutter of hope.

" **When it's my turn to help you out, I'll gladly lift you up, without a doubt."-Aly and AJ (Protecting Me)**

 _Short but sweet! Tell me what you think!_


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